Thursday, March 24, 2011

Life Off-Campus

Where do Spartans choose to lay their helmets after a hard day's work? For about 12,000 MSU students that place is off-campus apartments or homes. 


Advertising junior Will Harrell said he moved off-campus last May because the cost of living was cheaper. Aspects such as bigger space, a kitchen area, and a personal bathroom allow him to have a space of his own for less. Harrell said he lived in the residence halls his freshman and sophomore year (Bailey Hall and West McDonel Hall). This trend of students flocking off-campus after their freshman year provides business for the East Lansing Community. There is the Apartment Store located inside of SBS Bookstore, housing fairs in which students decide whether or not they want to move and business such as DTN Management (who owns a good portion of off-campus housing). 


Another perk of off-campus living? Pets! Upon interviewing, Harrell showed off his pet snake D-Bo, a Royal Python. He said residence halls only allow pet fish inside the dorms and Chandler's Crossing allows him to have his cold-blooded companion.


In January, shootings were reported by The State News in an apartment complex near where Harrell lives. Being a native-Detroiter, Harrell said he wasn't phased by the shootings and shrugged them off as less prominent than in his hometown. 


Whether prompted by the idea of pet snakes or the allure of having a space free from dorm chatter, MSU students such as Will Harrell are making the move from cafeteria food to home-cooked meals. 

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